A control arm skate is described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 61/519,528 filed May 24, 2011 and in a related U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/479,996, filed May 24, 2012, claiming priority to the Provisional, both of which applications are herewith incorporated by reference as if fully set out herein.
A control arm skate is thus used, as an example, in supporting a component of a vehicle above a reference or sliding surface and in facilitating the movement or sliding of a vehicle over the surface. In use, a vehicle is lifted then lowered onto at least one control arm skate, with a portion of the vehicle, such as a control arm or other suspension component, supported onto the skate. The vehicle can then be transported or slid across the reference surface, the skate sliding thereon while supporting the vehicle.
It will be recognized that the skate has a lower sliding surface and an upper face preferably configured compatibly to receive a vehicle component such as a control arm.
Since the skate is of predetermined thickness, the operative height of the supported vehicle portion or part above the surface reference on which the skate sits is essentially determined by the operative thickness of the skate between the surface on one hand and a lower part of the supported portion of the vehicle. The distance or height so determined may not be high enough as desired.
It is thus one objective of this invention to provide an accessory or improvement for a control arm skate where the height of a vehicle component it supports above a surface is not limited by the operative thickness of the skate as described above.
More particularly, where a skate is to be used to support a vehicle above a surface, it is desired to operably dispose a skate under another suspension part or component than the control arm. Variations in vehicles, types, status, damage or the like can require support of the vehicle by engagement of a part thereof other than a suspension control arm. It might thus be desired to support, for example, a vehicle by supporting an axle or frame member on a skate. However, such a member, relative to the vehicle, may be higher or above the lowest portion of a control arm component. In such a case, the skate disposed under an axle or frame, for example, may be of such insufficient operative thickness to adequately support the vehicle the desired distance above the reference surface.
Accordingly, it is another objective of the invention to provide apparatus for combination with a skate to provide support of a vehicle component above that provided by the operative thickness of an unmodified skate.
As well, a further objective of the invention has been to provide methods and apparatus enabling a skate to support a vehicle component at varied, selected distances above a reference or sliding surface.
Finally, it is noted that a control arm skate preferably has an upper surface configured to receive a particular compatible vehicle component such as a control arm. It is desirable to provide an apparatus for a skate to present an upper surface for receiving a control arm and alternate apparatus for a skate for receiving another component, in supporting relation, of different configuration than a control arm, with both offering a variation of operative heights.